One of the hardest things to do when trying to teach is to present the material in a clear and concise way. When asked to explain a topic, it is so much easier to say a whole lot of nothing than to present the material simply, directly, and intelligibly.
Just think back to your days in class. When it came to test-taking, I loved essay questions because I knew that I could ramble and, within five very long paragraphs, say something that sounded like it related to the original question.
Or have you ever seen someone trying to share their personal testimony without being well-trained? Three minutes turns into 30, and you wonder if they're ever going to land the plane.
The same thing is true when it comes to communicating the core messages of our faith. Yes, these topics are packed full of significant theology that could take volumes to fully explain. But, when it comes to clearly communicating to a brand new believer, brevity is our friend. We can’t unload the dump truck of our systematic theology on them.
So here's a cool challenge: Distill Cru's ten core messages in such a way that you could fit the content of each message on a 3X5 card and communicate it to a six year-old in the car on the way to Chuck E. Cheese. Or, if that thought makes you slightly nauseated, let me put it this way. Imagine you have a 20 second elevator ride with a freshman at Winter Conference: How do you relay the essence of a core message before you reach the ground floor?
You can approach this however you want. You may be a linear thinker and prefer using bullet points. Or, if you're a creative person, you'll want to communicate with an illustration, story, acronym, or haiku.
Either way, you've got to make the main point in a way that is easy to understand and isn’t packed full of seminary-level theological language. And you need to practice your communication until you don't have to rely heavily on what's written on the card. (I didn't use the word "memorize" because it scares people.)
Now go find your stack of 3X5 cards and have some fun. New believers are counting on you!
• Assurance of Salvation
• Experiencing God’s Love and Forgiveness
• Christ-centered Living
• Filling of the Spirit
• Prayer
• The Word
• Fellowship
• Witness
• Complete Surrender
• Great Commission
Photo: Anne Helmond (Flickr)
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